Stand for the Silent

The Worcester Public Schools will once again take part of the “Stand for the Silent" Day. Stand for the Silent has become one of the leading and most effective anti-bullying organizations, whose mission is to bring awareness to bullying and the real devastation it causes.

All WPS schools have distributed pledge cards to have student's sign. The pledge states:

"From this day forward I promise to respect those around me as well as respect myself. I am somebody, and I can make a difference. I can make another feel loved. I can be the helping hand that leads another back to a path of hope and aspiration. I will not stand silent as others try to spread hatred through my community. Instead, I pledge to lift up these victims, and show them that their life matters. I will be the change because I am somebody."

Stand for the Silent was started in 2010 by a group of students from the Oklahoma State University- Oklahoma City Upward Bound Chapter after they heard the story of Kirk and Laura Smalley’s son, Ty Field-Smalley. At eleven years-old, Ty took his own life after being suspended from school for retaliating against a bully that had been bullying him for over two years.

Stand for the Silent exists as a platform to allow Kirk and Laura to share their story and offer education and tools that will prevent their tragedy from happening to another child and family. Kirk and Laura’s mission is to continue to change kids’ lives and bring awareness to bullying and the real devastation it causes. Since May 2010, Kirk and Laura Smalley have traveled to over a thousand schools and spoken with more than 1,000,000 kids. In March 2011, Kirk and Laura met privately with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in The White House prior to attending the first ever White House conference on bullying. Their story is featured in Director Lee Hirsch's feature film, Bully. Kirk and Laura have been invited to a number of conferences on bullying and met with Lady Gaga at the launch of the Born This Way Foundation.

School Information

Instructional Focus

West Tatnuck teachers will implement the Instructional Model for open-ended response type questions for all students. This includes specific grade strategies on how to read carefully, think deeply about the information, gather evidence, and how to write a clear, detailed response.

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